


A Hazy Shade of Winter

by Rixel



Category: Supernatural
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-31
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2018-12-21 23:58:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11955429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rixel/pseuds/Rixel
Summary: During a hunt, the Winchesters come across Witch Twin Alisha Banes and a new girl, who is somehow able to make Sam's visions of Lucifer disappear. At the same time, a strange book turns up that holds the secrets of the brothers past and future. Amid the Levithans and Demons, a new monster appears...one that this new girl seems to sympathize with a little too much.A better, more thought out plot on a story I attempted to write before.T for Language.





	1. (Don't Fear) The Reaper

**Chapter 1 - (Don't Fear) The Reaper**

 

            “Thank you for your time.” Sam Winchester said as he closed his notepad and headed back to the Impala.

            “You get anything?” Dean asked as his brother came over.

            Sam sighed. “Not Leviathan. It’s probably a ghost. Bobby was right.” He pulled open the passenger side door. “House burned down with her in it. But they think her bones may still be inside.”

            “Hey, I’d take a simple ghost right about now.” Dean slid behind the wheel. “Got the address?”

            “Yeah, but uh, what about the book?” Sam gestured to the old, falling apart book in the back seat.

            Dean shrugged. “You can’t read it, right?”

            “No, but maybe Bobby-“

            “Bobby’s lost most of his books.” Dean said. “It’s probably junk anyway. I need to kill something. You in?”

            Sam nodded, and the Impala headed off down the road.

 

* * *

 

            Charlotte took a sip from her water bottle and stared out the windshield. The leaves were already turning colors and the air was cold. She shivered and reached over to turn the key in the ignition. The little Prius started up without much of a noise and the heater kicked it. She leaned back in her seat and let out a long breath as her eyes closed. Her red hair fluttered around her face as the heater blasted full speed.

            A moment later, the driver’s side door opened and Alisha slid in. She mumbled something incoherent as she rubbed her hands in front of the heater before she turned to Charlotte and smiled.

            “I got a lead,” Alisha said. “It’s sketchy at best.”

            Alisha Banes was a small, youngish girl, but she was a talented one at that. Her long dark brown hair swirled around a pretty face. Most of the time, people thought she was too young to be out of high school, and she almost was, but her family had been in the Hunting business for a while. Alisha wasn’t one to end that tradition, and neither was her twin brother Max.

            “But it’s something,” Charlotte said. Her British accent was in sharp contrast to Alisha’s American. Charlotte handed her phone over to Alisha. “You want to call Max?”

            Alisha shook her head. “My brother needs his training. We can do this one, just you and me.”

            Charlotte slowly put her phone back, and shrugged. “One Banes is better than none.”

            “Speaking of which,” Alisha pulled the car out of the spot and turned towards the road. “It looks like we may not be the first ones to head out here today.”

            Charlotte’s head snacked back towards Alisha. “Hunters?!” She hadn’t been expecting that. She probably should have.

            Alisha bit her lip and nodded. “Probably.” Her grip tightened on the steering wheel. She took in a deep breath. “Do you want to let them handle it?”

            Charlotte frowned. They didn’t usually bump into other Hunters. It was a big country, after all, but when they did, the Banes twins always got worked up. It seemed most Hunters didn’t like the witch twins very much, and that only created a deeper fear over how they’d feel with Charlotte.

            After a moment, Charlotte shook her head. “If we can save a life, we must try.”

            Alisha sighed. “I was afraid you’d say that.” She reached into her pocket as they drove down the road and pulled out a pair of pearl earrings. She tossed them to Charlotte.

            “I got the damn earrings.” Alisha said without a glance. “That was a pain. Apparently, the woman didn’t keep many possessions and the family didn’t want to part with them. Damn things cost me $200.”

            Charlotte smirked and put the earrings on. “I’ll pay you back.”

            “Yeah, you will.”

 

* * *

 

            The two girls turned up a dirt road that weaved through a small forest before stopping next to an old white-washed farmed house that had obviously seen better days. Half the house was crumbling to the ground, and leaves had blown in where the roof once stood. The sun hadn’t set yet, but it was dark enough for lights to be on inside the house. Charlotte stiffened as she saw movement through one of the unbroken windows upstairs. She jerked her chin to the window and Alisha nodded.

            “Figured they’d beat us here,” Alisha sighed. She reached into the backseat and grabbed a shotgun filled with rock-salt bullets. “Ready?”

            Charlotte closed her eyes for a second. Alisha meant it more of a simple question, but she took it seriously. She pulled her curled mess of red hair back and tied it up so it wouldn’t get in the way.

            “I’m wearing hiking boots,” Charlotte muttered with a frown.

            “So?”

            “They’re loud.”

            Alisha smirked and smacked Charlotte on the shoulder. “Come on, girl. Let’s go save a life.” She got out and slammed the car door behind her, loud.

            “You sure you don’t want to call Max?” Charlotte asked as she got out of the car. There was no way the Hunters inside hadn’t heard Alisha’s car door slam.

            “No need,” Alisha kicked the front door and it crashed down into splinters.

            Charlotte sighed and headed up to the house.

            As soon as she got in the door, she jumped as a gunshot came from somewhere upstairs. Alisha looked over a Charlotte, then raced up the stairs. Charlotte followed close behind.

            “Damn it!” A graveled voice shouted out. “It’s in the hall!”

            Alisha stuck her arm out in front of Charlotte, and the red headed girl slammed into it. She bounced back a step and nearly fell down the stairs. She let out a small yelp in surprise, and something answered back.

            Charlotte shuddered as the chills ran down her spine. She turned to see a woman standing at the bottom of the stairs. The woman had long blond hair and an incredibly stylist dress on. Her entire body was covered in blood, and she was ghastly transparent grey. Her shadow stretched long and dark behind her  across the floor and up the wall. Definitely a Shade, and an old one by the look of it.

            Alisha smirked and pointed her gun down at the woman. “Hey, Shade!”

            The Shade hissed and then started to charge up the stairs towards us. A gunshot from downstairs hit the Shade in its side, and she vanished.

            “What the-“ Alisha leaned forward to see where the shot came from, but the downstairs wall hid whoever was down there.

            “Get down!” Alisha shouted. At first, Charlotte thought she was talking to her, but then she turned and saw there was a man in the hallway. He ducked, and Alisha fired a shot at the Shade as she raced up behind him.

            “We need to get her to the living room!” Alisha growled.

            “Get out of here!” The man yelled back. He raced past Alisha and Charlotte and pounded down the stairs. “Sam! Tell you you’ve got the bones!”

            “Hey!” Alisha yelled as he pushed past them.

            “In the fireplace.” A voice from the living room came up.

            “Oh, no.” Alisha charged down the stairs with Charlotte following behind her. The Shade wasn’t in site, but the two men were standing by a fireplace. One of them had a lighter and he was flipping it open. “No, no, no!” Alisha grabbed his wrist.

            “What do you think you’re doing?” The man growled. “We’re trying to stop this bitch!”

            Charlotte felt the prickling on the back of her neck. She turned and swung her iron rod out from her jacket and right through the Shade’s body. She vanished with a shriek.

            The boys seemed a little shocked, but Alisha didn’t miss a beat. “If you do that, it’ll kill her!”

            “Uh, that’s kinda the point,” said one of them.

            “News flash,” said the one with the lighter. “She’s already dead!”

            “Dean, the sun’s almost down.” The other one said.

            “Lottie, now!” Alisha looked over her shoulder at Charlotte.

            Charlotte nodded and closed her eyes. She could feel her ears burning where the pearl earrings were. The connection was there, but weak. The woman probably never wore them more than once, but she cherished them. It was enough. Charlotte reached out with her mind, out into the darkness when….

            “Shit! Wait!” Alisha yelled only a second before a wave of heat rushed over the room.

The brilliant light send such a powerful push through the air that Charlotte almost fell over. She opened her eyes to find that the other man had lit a matchbook.

There was a scream from the other room. They all knew the woman had burst into flames.

            “What the hell did you do that for!?” Alisha turned to the boys and scowled.

            The man with the lighter snapped his wrist out of Alisha’s grasp and smirked. “A simple thank you for saving your lives would be nice.”

            Alisha clamped her jaw shut. Charlotte worried. That look meant Alisha would start a fight.

            Charlotte crossed the floor in two steps and grabbed Alisha by the shoulders. She glanced over at the two men. They looked a bit young to be Hunters, far younger than Alisha even, but they knew their stuff. Well, as much as any Hunter would. Both of them had shotguns, just like Alisha. And they were aware to salt and burn the bones. They obviously thought the Shade was a ghost. All Hunters did. Even Alisha and Max before Charlotte came along.

            “You killed her,” Charlotte said quietly. It felt like a stab in her chest to say it. She knew Shades were killed all over the place, all the time, but it was always hard for her. Especially old ones that like. The body was new, which probably meant the Shade was getting desperate.

            “Again, that was kind of the-“ one of them started to say.

            “Oh, shut up,” Alisha gently pushed Charlotte’s hands off her shoulder and rolled her eyes. “They’re idiots. Let’s go.”

            “Hey!” The one with the lighter turned and pointed a finger at her. “We came in here to stop this ghost from hurting anyone else!”

            “Dean-“ the other guy started.

            “No!” Dean snapped back. “You know, I’m sick and tired of you people stomping around complaining about ghosts, then getting pissed when we actually do something about it!”

            “You people?!” Alisha glared at him.

            The boys instantly flinched. One of them looked down to see the crystal necklace hanging around Alisha’s neck. “Uh…we meant….Ghostfacers or whatever….”

            They all reacted at the same time. Charlotte grabbed Alisha’s fists while the boys put their hands up and took a step back.

            “Whoa!” One of them said.

            “Alisha, they didn’t mean it that way, and you know it,” Charlotte said.

            “What I meant was we saved your ass.” Dean said.

            Alisha tightened up again, but this time Charlotte spoke first. “No.”

            “No?” The tall one asked. “What do you mean, ‘no’?”

            “Yeah, what are you even doing here?” Dean asked.

            “We’re Hunters,” Charlotte replied.

            “Just not like you,” Alisha spat out.

            “I could have told you that, sweetheart.” Dean smirked.

            Alisha started towards him, but Charlotte still had her in her grip.

            “Okay, let’s just start over, alright?” The tall one said. “I’m Sam Winchester, this is my brother Dean. If you’re Hunters, then you already know what we were doing.”

            “Yeah, that ghost is toast.” Dean said.

            “Shade,” Charlotte corrected him.

            “What?”

            “…Winchester?” Alisha said softly.

            All three turned to look as Alisha’s face, pale as a ghost and her eye wide.

            “Alisha? You alright?” Charlotte asked.

            “I’ve heard about you guys,” she said. “My mom…she said if I ever have a problem to call John Winchester.”

            “That’s our father.” Sam said. “Was.”

            “Alisha?” Charlotte asked.

            “Mary used to Hunt with my mom,” Alisha said. She lowered her hands. “My mom’s got a lot of respect for both their parents.”

            “Hm,” Charlotte said. She’d never seen Alisha react that way before. Usually she didn’t like Hunters, and most Hunters hated her mother for being a witch.

            “Look, ghost is dead. Let’s go, Sammy.” Dean picked up his bag and threw it over his shoulder.

            “Shade,” Charlotte corrected him again, but both boys acted as if they didn’t hear her.

            As the boys reached the door, Charlotte noticed a third man standing at the bottom of the stairs. His arms were folded and he watched the boys carefully. That was odd, thought Charlotte. Three Hunters for what they thought was a simple ghost?

            “Three of you?” Charlotte asked.

            “What?” Sam looked back at her then followed her gaze. His face paled for a second. “You can-“

            “Forget them, Sam!” Dean shouted and walked out the door.

            Sam gave Charlotte a strange gaze, almost as if he didn’t believe her question. The man standing at the bottom of the stairs looked at Charlotte and Sam, then shrugged. He headed out after Dean. Sam shook his head in disbelief, then left.

            After they were all gone, Charlotte let go of Alisha. “You alright?”

            Alisha frowned. “Let’s call Max.”


	2. Bad Moon Rising

**Chapter 2 - Bad Moon Rising**  
“Yeah, the Winchesters,” Alisha said in disbelief as she tossed her bag onto the hotel bed. The first thing she did was turn to the door and wave the crystal from her necklace around it. Charlotte watched, as always. Alisha pulled the phone away from her ear and put it on speaker phone.  
“…pretty much legends. That’s incredible! Are you going to go on another hunt with them?” Max’s voice came over the phone.  
Alisha scoffed. “Yeah right.”  
Charlotte flopped down on the other bed and stared up at the ceiling. It was rare for her to meet a Hunter, and never before had she seen one actually kill a Shade before. It happened all the time, she knew, but this…she wasn’t sure how to feel.  
“Seriously, I’ll come switch places with you,” Max offered.  
Charlotte looked over at Alisha.  
“Or you could just join us?” Alisha grinned.  
It had been a while since the three of them hunted together. Max’s magic training with their mother had been taking priority.   
“No can do,” Max said with a sigh. “Hey, uh, maybe you could reach out to Bobby?”  
“Bobby?” Alisha asked. “Bobby Singer?”  
Charlotte mouthed ‘Who’s that?’, but Alisha waved her off.  
“If the Winchesters are killing Shades, 10 to 1 say it’s because Bobby gave them the case. Go see Bobby, tell him about Shades, and you’ll have at least 50 hunters who stop going after them.”  
“Really?” Charlotte sat up.  
Alisha thought about it for a moment. “You think that’s a good idea?”  
“If we can stop those three, I think it’s a great idea,” Charlotte said.  
“Three?” Alisha asked.  
“Go see him,” Max said before Charlotte could answer. “Mom always said to count on him.”  
“I guess.” Alisha shrugged. “I doubt you’ll meet us there?”  
“No,” Max chuckled. “But you can swing by home after you see him and pay mom and I a visit?”  
“Deal.” Alisha closed her phone. She looked over at Charlotte. “Three?”  
“There were three,” Charlotte said, though not as confident as she was a moment ago. “Maybe it was a ghost.”  
“Not another Shade?” Alisha asked.  
Charlotte stiffened. She loved the twins, she really did, but sometimes they said thing that just hit her the wrong way. Her eyes darkened. “Shades do not haunt.”  
“Right,” Alisha took a step back and her face reddened. “I-I just meant, you know…”  
Charlotte took in a deep breath.  
“Look, go clean up. Rest.” Alisha said. “We’ll leave for Bobby’s in the morning.”  
Charlotte took the opportunity to escape.

* * *

With a megaphone to his lips, Lucifer shouted at Sam while Dean devoured his pie.  
“What the hell is wrong with you, Sammy!?” Lucifer screamed. “Not hungry!?”  
“What did you think of those two at the house?” Sam asked as calmly as he could.  
Dean shrugged. “Frickin’ witches. Gettin’ all their hocus pocus in our business.” He shook his head. “Since when are witches Hunters anyway?”  
Sam watched in horror as the pie in front of his brother turned into maggots, and Dean shoved it happily into his mouth. Sam looked away. “It was strange though, what they were saying. About, uh, Shades?”  
Dean waved his fork in the air. “Just forget about them, Sam. Shades, ghosts, whatever. We should focus back on the Leviathans. Get something to eat. You’re creeping me out.”  
“Yeah Sammy, eat something.” Lucifer teased.  
“I need to go to the restroom,” Sam got to his feet and walked to the back of the diner. Lucifer followed as he entered the restroom and headed over to the sink. Sam leaned forward and splashed his face with water before glancing up at his reflection in the faded mirror.

* * *

Charlotte watched through the mirror in her hotel bathroom as Sam and the stranger headed to the diner restroom. She felt guilty for spying on him, but it just sort of…happened. Mirrors were generally something she avoided for this reason. But now that she could see the strange man no one else seemed to notice before, there was something odd about him.  
He wasn’t a Shade, she knew that much. She would have sensed that at the house. What then? She leaned forward closer to the mirror and enlarged his image. He looked like such a normal human being. There were no strange shimmers in his reflection, no glow in his eyes, not even a trace of transparency. But he was not human.   
She decided to test the waters a bit and see what she could find. Charlotte placed her palm on the mirror, and a dark tendril of smoke drifted out into the view of Sam and the stranger. It drifted up towards the ceiling. It was amazing how no one ever looked up at a ceiling, especially if there was a looming shadow moving across it.  
Ever since Alisha and Max found Charlotte in this world, wondering the highway alone, she’d used the mirrors as a way to peek at others. It was how she was able to find other Shades. Mirrors were always used as doorways for Shades, so it wasn’t a new practice to her. And since only a Shade could see her back through the mirror, she never had any problems.  
Except now.  
It all happened so quickly. She stretched her shadow into the room just as Sam lifted his head to look up. He stared back at her, through the mirror, with a terrified look on his face. The other man stopped pacing and glared at her as well, only the strangers face was that of complete anger driven madness. Before Charlotte knew what was going on, the stranger pushed Sam aside, reached through the mirror and wrapped his hands around Charlotte’s throat.  
She was yanked through the mirror and into the men’s restroom and thrown up against the wall. The man clutched her throat tightly as he leaned his face up against hers.  
“Who are you!?” He growled.  
“What-hey!” Sam said in surprise in the background.  
The mans demeanor changed so quickly that Charlotte wondered if she had imagined his temper outburst. He cocked his head sideways and looked Charlotte over. “You’re not from around here.” He took a deep sniff next to her ear, which caused her to flinch. “And you’re nothing I’ve seen before.”  
“Hey, let her go!” Same grabbed the stranger and pulled him away from Charlotte. Surprisingly, he let go of the girl and stepped back.  
Charlotte felt to her knees, clasping her throat as she coughed back her freedom.  
“Are you alright?” Sam asked.  
Trust was, she was still trying to process what had just happened. She looked up at the man, but now he seemed uninterested. He leaned up against the sink and picked at his fingernail.  
“Hey, aren’t you the girl from the house?” Sam asked, even more confused now.  
Charlotte stared at the stranger. How had he seen her? He wasn’t a Shade. And more importantly, how had he gone through the mirror? The sheer power it took to do that – even for her – was life draining. And he looked as if it was as much effort as grabbing a beer out of a fridge. She stared at him while her body started to shake. Hell, just looking through the mirror drained her a bit. The scare of actually being pulled through by an unknown entity didn’t exactly help her stabilize.  
“You…” Sam looked over his shoulder at the man. “You can see him?”  
Charlotte nodded. That should have been a far stranger question than it was, but she had already deduced that Sam was the only one who could see him.  
Sam looked between the man and Charlotte again. “You can see Lucifer?”  
Again, Charlotte nodded. She didn’t recognize the name. “What is he?”  
“The devil.” Lucifer replied with pride. He didn’t bother looking at either of them.  
“Ye-yeah.” Sam shook his head in a sort of disbelief. “You can see him, and he pulled you…he pulled you through the mirror?”  
Charlotte watched Sam carefully. He was nervous and twitchy. As confused and upset as she was, he looked ten times worse. She nodded slowly, though she hated to admit it. It seemed like a devil, or the devil, or whatever he was, was strong enough to use the mirror better than her.  
Sam breathed out a sort of sign in relief and Lucifer laughed.  
“Aw, now we’re no longer alone, Sammy!” Lucifer pouted.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Devil's Gotta' Earn

**Chapter 3 - The Devil's Gotta' Earn**

The look on Dean's face when Charlotte emerged from the boys room with Sam was well, priceless. She didn't know Dean at all, of course, but it was hard to imagine a larger surprise in his life. His jaw was still hanging open when they sat down at the table with him. Lucifer stayed standing with his arms crossed. He didn't seem angry or happy. It was hard to read him. Charlotte still wasn't sure what a devil was, but she was convinced her was more powerful that her, yet somehow contained. For now.

"Let me guess," Dean finally spoke up after a brief period of silence. "She just appeared out of the sky. Like an Angel?"

"Something like that," Sam said.

Charlotte crinkled her nose. She wasn't an Angel. But it didn't matter what Dean thought of her. She was more concerned with Lucifer and his power. Why didn't anyone else see him? Especially Alisha. Alisha could see auras and all that fancy stuff, so why not him?

She glanced around the diner. While there were signs of the stereotypical grouping of midnight snackers and grave-shift lackies, there were still enough signs of intelligence that it couldn't be just the dumb and stupid that couldn't see him. Not that Alisha was stupid, of course, but she may have not noticed him during the heat of battle?

Oh! Charlotte snapped up. She was such an idiot! Sam! Of course! The real question wasn't why no one could see him, but why Sam could!

Dean sneered, either at her reaction or the fact the no one was telling him what was going on. "Well, is no one going to share?"

Charlotte ignored him and turned to Sam. "Does he follow you, or did he start to tag along once you realized you could see him?"

"Hey!" Dean snapped. "What did your British ass say?"

Sam looked embarrassed. He curled into himself a little and shrugged. "Follows me around."

"I what?" Dean stared at him in disbelief. "You think I follow you around like some dog?"

"Woof woof puppy!" Lucifer cheered.

"Not you," Sam assured Dean. He then turned back to Charlotte. "Besides, we should be asking you questions."

"Yeah, Mary Poppins," Dean jumped on board with Sam's lead as if the previous conversation didn't happen. "What were you and your freaky witch friend doing at that house, anyway?"

Charlotte didn't answer. She just stared at Dean. While Alisha may have trust in Hunters, Charlotte only really had trust in the Banes family. And Alisha warned her that Hunters didn't play nice with things they didn't understand. Max especially told her several times that if any other Hunter knew what she was, they would kill her.

It was already a surprise that Sam didn't assume she was some sort of monster and kill her.

"I see you've got yourself a real chatty Cathy here," Dean grumbled.

Sam sighed. "You're not going to tell us anything? Why didn't you want us to kill that ghost?"

Again, Charlotte remained silent. The only reason she hadn't blown them off and called Alisha was because of Lucifer. She could see him out of the corner of her eye, and he was staring at her. At first, she thought he was watching Sam, but no, it was definitely her. That gave her goosebumps. She worked incredibly hard to make sure that she wasn't noticed too much by Hunters or other Shades, and now something far more powerful was taking an interest in her. Did he know she was a Shade?

"Well, this is just great." Dean sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"Okay," Sam shook his head as he cleared his throat. "Can you at least tell us your name?"

She thought about it for a moment. "Charlotte."

"She speaks!" Dean threw his hands up in the air.

Charlotte regretted it the moment she said it. Lucifer grinned. The two Hunters no longer worried her. If they wanted to hurt her, she could run, she could hide in a mirror, but him…if he could use the mirrors like she could, if he could use the, better than she could, well…maybe knowing her name was too much information.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialed Alisha. After the second ring, she picked up.

"A bit lazy, don't you think?" Alisha answered.

"I'm not there anymore," Charlotte said.

The boys exchanged a look of confusion with each other, but Charlotte ignored them. "I'm at a diner. In uh…" she pulled the menu over to her, which held the address. "In Castle Rock?  
Fred's Diner. Come pick me up?"

Alisha and Max knew Charlotte could do things, but they didn't really know the extent of her powers. And she'd never vanished away like that before.

"What?" Alisha gasped. "You were just in the shower!"

"I know," Charlotte replied. She felt bad for the way this conversation had to happen, but she needed her down here. "Get here soon? There's a pair of Hunters I know you're dying to meet."

Charlotte hung up before she could ask questions. Alisha was going to be pissed, but she'd come. If there was anything in this world she could count on, it was the Banes twins.

"Seriously?" Dean asked.

Charlotte looked at him, then Sam, then Lucifer. The latter seemed all too pleased with himself as he traced a finger along the back of Sam's chair. She didn't know if Dean knew about it, but she could tell he couldn't see Lucifer.

"Dean, let's just go." Sam sighed.

"Fine by me." Dean pushed away from the table and stood up.

Sam watched Charlotte for a moment, then gave up. "Alright," he said as he got up.

Charlotte bit her lip. She didn't want to say anything, but she didn't want them to leave without knowing what sort of powers Lucifer held. "Wait."

"Why should we?" Dean grumbled, but he stopped and looked over at her.

She sighed. Her words had to be chosen carefully, for Lucifer would hear them all. "We're Hunters. Sort of."

"So?" Dean shrugged.

"And…we're heading over to Bobby Singer's place," Charlotte said. "You know him, correct?"

Both of the boys stiffened up. Sam cleared his throat. "You know Bobby?"

Charlotte shrugged. She didn't exactly know him, but she assumed Alisha did. "The twins do."

"What business do a bunch of witches have there?" Dean asked, a little too sharply.

"Hunters." She scowled. Alisha and Max were witches, but technically they were Hunters, too. "And our business is ours."

"Excuse me?" Dean shouted.

"Dean!" Sam took a step forward and put his hands up. Half the diner was looking at the group of them now.

"Ooo." Lucifer chimed in to break the silence. "Looks like you're got more than just Dean's attention."

Sam's face reddened. "Just…Bobby's…Bobby's house burned down."

"Sam!" Dean growled but at a much lower volume then before.

"Well, it's not like she wouldn't find out." Sam replied. He glanced around again. Most people had stopped looking, but there were a few still wondering what they were doing. Sam motioned to the door.

Charlotte hesitated, but followed the brothers outside. The chill was sharp, and she wrapped her arms around herself.

"So what do you want with Bobby?" Sam asked.

"Yes, what do you want with our little Mr. Singer?" Lucifer purred.

Charlotte flinched. She really didn't like the way he was looking at her. Or the fact that he wanted information on her. She shifted from one foot to another. She couldn't risk telling Lucifer about Shades if he somehow already didn't know.

"Look, you're really not helping your case here, Hermione." Dean said.

"Dean," Sam cocked his head disapprovingly at his brother. "Hermione? Really?"

Dean shrugged. "You try coming up with British nicknames."

"Look, I…" Charlotte glanced over at Lucifer. "That thing you killed wasn't a ghost."

Lucifer seemed downright giddy. He slid behind Charlotte and put his hands on her shoulders. She had to force herself not to pull away.

"Oh, do tell," Lucifer whispered in her ear. His breath tickled the hair on her neck.

Sam wriggled uncomfortably. "Dean, maybe we should-"

"That thing was a ghost," Dean said sternly. He brushed Sam off. "She looked exactly like Shirley Jones and she reacted to Shirley Jones' bones lighting on fire. She was haunting the house of Shirley Jones and…do I need to go on?"

"I know…" Charlotte said. "I know it looked like a ghost, but it wasn't. Not really. Did you see her shadow?"

"Her shadow?" Sam asked as he looked at Dean.

"This is priceless," Lucifer said. He glided his hand down her arm. "Keep going darling. Tell us all about these Shades."

Charlotte couldn't take it anymore. She lunged forward away from Lucifer.

"Aw, come on, baby!" Lucifer called after her.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked.

"Dean," Sam grabbed his brothers arm. "Just…hang on a second."

"Why?" Dean asked.

A Prius turned into the parking lot of the diner and Charlotte immediately felt better. She ran over to the car and Alisha rolled down her window.

"What the hell, Lottie?" Alisha asked.

"Ghosts don't have shadows!" Dean called out to Charlotte.

Alisha looked beyond Charlotte to see the two brothers there. "Is that…?"

Charlotte nodded.

Alisha got out of her car and stared at the boys. After a moment, they came over to her.

"They said Bobby's house burned down," Charlotte spoke up.

"What?!" Alisha gasped.

"Uh, yeah," Sam scratched the back of his head.

"Shit, that's where we were going!" Alisha snorted. She composed herself as she remembered who was standing in front of her and held out her hand. "Sorry. Alisha Banes."

"Sam. Winchester." He shook her hand.

"Of course, I know who you guys are," Alisha said. "You're famous."

"Great." Dean grumbled. "What do you want with Bobby?"

Alisha seemed irritated at Dean's brashness. "My brother said he might be able to help with the Shade problem."

"What exactly is a Shade?" Sam asked. "And what does it have to do with a ghosts shadow?"

"Ghosts don't have shadows." Dean said. "They're ghosts. They're just air."

"He's right," Alisha half shrugged.

"So Shades are ghosts with shadows?" Sam asked.

Charlotte watched as Lucifer paced around the group of them. He seemed far too interested in the conversation. His grin widened with every word.

"Come on, Sammy!" Lucifer said. "Don't ask stupid questions!"

"They're an entirely different creature," Alisha said.

"A monster is a monster," Dean replied. "She killed people. We killed her. End of story."

Charlotte turned and walked away. It was hard enough listening to a bunch of Hunters talk about her like she wasn't there, but it was even more difficult to hear someone that had killed a Shade call it a monster. And Lucifer downright creeped her out.

"Lottie!" Alisha called after her.

"Wait!" Sam said. "Just…we're trying to understand what happened."

"Yeah, Lottie!" Lucifer shouted. "Come back! We want to hear more about these…Shades!"

Charlotte didn't like the way he said that. It gave her cold chills. She had no idea if Lucifer knew what Shades were, but with the small amount of information a man with his power could find out almost anything.

"Baby, come back!" Lucifer yelled. "Don't be like this!"

"Lottie?" Alisha called after her once more, but Charlotte ignored her.

The air was crisp and cool as the night air blew against her face. There was no snow yet, but it wouldn't be long before it came. Charlotte hugged herself as she walked out of the parking lot and crossed the road. Alisha would deal with the brothers and come get her, she knew. She just couldn't spend another moment with Lucifer.

What exactly was he? Somehow he was tethered to Sam, but Sam didn't seem to be controlling him. If anything, Lucifer seemed to be draining Sam somehow.

Alisha's car pulled up beside Charlotte and the red headed girl slid into the passenger's seat.

Alisha looked slightly annoyed, but smiled politely. "Care to tell me how you got here from the bathroom?"

Charlotte shook her head.

Alisha sighed, but sped off down the road. After a moment, she tossed a card onto Charlotte's lap. "Here."

Charlotte picked it up. It was a business card. "Agent Tyler?"

Alisha shrugged. "He said it's a code name. It's for Sam."

Charlotte said nothing. She intended to throw the card away once she got home, but put it in her pocket for now to please Alisha.

Alisha waited patiently for as long as she could before she spoke. "They aren't the bad guys, you know."

Charlotte didn't answer. She just looked out the window.


	4. The Devil's Chasing Me

**Chapter 4 - The Devil's Chasing Me**

The next day Alisha put Max on speaker phone as they packed their things and tried to figure out where to head to next.

"They have an angel, Alisha." Max said. He'd been gushing about the Winchester boy for nearly ten minutes straight.

"How does an Angel side with a Hunter?" Alisha laughed. "I didn't think Heavenly beings would like the idea of us killing anything, even if they are monsters."

"I don't know," Max said. "But you could always ask them about it?"

Alisha shrugged, even though Max couldn't see it. "Sam gave us his number, but I think Lottie is still pretty upset."

She looked over at Charlotte, who avoided her gaze.

"Well, either way, try and get as many stories as you can out of Bobby. Oh, and don't show up without some beer. He'll talk better that way." Max said.

Alisha laughed. "I'll see if I can convince Lottie to buy some. I don't think I pass for legal age yet. I'll call you when we find out where to meet him."

Charlotte said nothing as Alisha turned off the phone. She wasn't sure how she felt about going to see this 'Bobby'. From what Max said, he was basically a hub for lots of different Hunters. Telling him about Shade might save a lot of lives, or it might end up with her dead by the end of the day. There was no way to know.

"You gonna tell me how you ended up 20 miles away at a diner last night?" Alisha asked.

Charlotte shoved the last of her clothes in a bag and shrugged.

"Nu-uh." Alisha replied. "Not good enough. You need to tell me what's going on."

"Honestly?" Charlotte paused. She trusted Alisha, but she didn't know how much she'd freak out if she knew she could see through mirrors. "Did you see a third guy with the Winchesters last night?"

"What?" Alisha asked. "There were a bunch of people in the diner."

Charlotte shook her head. "What about when we went to the car?"

Alisha raised an eyebrow. "No. Just Sam and Dean. Lottie, what's going on?"

Ok, so Alisha couldn't see Lucifer, which probably meant Dean couldn't either. That meant Charlotte needed to talk to Sam. As much as she didn't want anything to do with the ones that just killed a Shade, Lucifer was far too powerful to just let go. Maybe the Hunters could handle him, but probably not. She couldn't risk it. Especially if he could yank people through mirrors like that.

Charlotte frowned and headed outside. Thankfully Alisha didn't follow her, but she knew the twin was angry. She could handle that later.

She snuck over to the side of the building and dug the card out of her pocket. She punched the number into her cell and Sam picked up after the third ring.

"Hello?" He sounded tired.

"Sam? It's Charlotte."

"Charlotte?" He seemed surprised. She couldn't blame him, especially after she stormed off the night before. "Uh, yeah. What's up?"

"Tell me about Lucifer." Charlotte said.

There was silence on his side of the phone for a while. Maybe he didn't like talking about it. Maybe he still didn't believe what happened the night before. Or maybe Lucifer was listening in.

"I can't really, um, explain it. You know?" He finally spoke up.

"Try."

Sam sighed. There was a ruffling sound and she heard a door close somewhere in the background. "You know, you didn't answer our questions last night."

Charlotte frowned. If the only way to find out about Lucifer was to tell him about Shades, she might not have a choice. "Okay. Are you alone?"

Sam almost laughed. "No. I'm never alone. But I can...I can block it. Maybe. Meet me at the diner in half an hour?"

Charlotte didn't really want to leave Alisha, but his comment about never being alone worried her. She assumed he was referring to Lucifer. Did he stick around Sam because Sam could see him? Why did Lucifer chase after her when she left last night?

"Alright," Charlotte agreed and hung up the phone.

* * *

Charlotte parked the car outside the diner and shook her head at herself. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

After a few deep breathes, and another text to Alisha apologizing with a promise to explain everything later, she got out of the car. She headed into the diner and found Sam sitting in the back corner. He waved her over and she sat down across the table from him.

"Hey." He said with a horribly forced smile.

She looked around but didn't see Lucifer anywhere. Or Dean. Maybe he took her whole 'come alone' thing seriously. That would be nice. She got the feeling most Hunter's didn't like being told what to do.

"So, uh, you gonna tell me about Shades?" Sam asked.

"First," Charlotte said. "Where's Lucifer?"

Sam held up his hand, which was bandaged. "I can chase him away if I focus on the pain when I push my wound."

"What do you mean 'chase him away'?" She asked.

"My turn." Sam said.

"What? No, I asked a question."

"And I answered." Sam's face seemed to relax a little. "Now it's my turn. What's a Shade?"

She narrowed my eyes at him. Two can play this stupid game. "A shadow being."

"But what do they-"

"My turn." She interrupted him. "What is Lucifer?"

"Besides the Devil?" Sam shook his head. "He's a figment of my imagination that's trying to torture me. Was Shirley Jones a Shade?"

"Not really." She wasn't sure how to answer that one. It was far more than a simple yes or no question. "She was human, but a Shade took her over. And what do you mean a figment of your imagination?"

"How can you even see him?" Sam asked. "I mean, I can see him because he's inside my mind. But you being able to see him..."

"Can you see his reflection in a mirror?"

Sam nodded.

"Alright." Charlotte thought about it for a minute. "I can see things in mirrors. That would explain that. But the fact that he could physically touch me and pull me through the mirror doesn't explain anything. If he's just a figment of your imagination, then he shouldn't be able to hurt me."

Sam didn't seem to like that answer. He almost looked scared.

"Sam?" She asked.

"Next question." He shifted in his chair. "Shirley Jones kill 3 teenage boys and scared off bunches of people from the house. Why shouldn't we hunt her down?"

She sighed. Again, complicated questions. Why didn't he ask anything simple? "Fine," Charlotte said. "A Shade in it's pure form can't actually hurt anyone. Not here. They need a host. Or absolute darkness, which is damn near impossible here."

"Here?" Sam asked.

"Uh. Here?" Charlotte gestured around her.

Sam nodded slowly, but she could tell he was just going to ask about it later. She hadn't expected him to understand.

"When they get a host, it's usually quite difficult at first to get the hang of things. Shades can go crazy just trying to figure out how to walk. The muscle connections and thoughts – it's all very different."

"So …they tend to go on murdering sprees?"

Charlotte frowned and looked down at the table. It wasn't fair. She knew how things were. She knew that the simple idea of trying to change the channel on a tv could make you push someone down the stairs. Or stab them through the chest. Especially if the host themselves were incredibly hostile. "Accidentally, maybe. My guess is Shirley Jones the human wasn't a very good person, and that thought wave traveled over into the Shade."

"So Shades kill people to take them over." Sam said.

"No." She shook my head. "They can't take over an unwilling host. She was most likely dead."

He thought about that for a moment.

Maybe Sam wasn't such a bad person. He was trying to legitimately find out what was going on. Maybe telling the Hunters about Shades wasn't a bad idea. They could help. Maybe they would stop killing Shades. Maybe Alisha was wrong and Hunters actually cared.

"They're still killing people." Sam said.

Okay, maybe she had jumped to conclusions too fast.

"Look," Charlotte leaned forward. "They don't understand what's going on. It's like being thrown into the middle of the ocean and not knowing how to swim. They mess up, but there are ways to help them instead of just killing them. You have no right to judge them."

"Maybe." Sam shrugged. "But it's our job to hunt down things that hurt people. If Shades are doing that, I don't see how they are any different."

Charlotte growled as her anger started to come through. "Then you're not different than the monsters you hunt."

"Hey," Sam started. "That's not-"

"Boo-hoo, Sammy." Lucifer flickered into view in the seat next to Charlotte.

Charlotte yelped and leaned away from him while Sam's hand flew to his palm. He jammed his thumb into his bandage. A moment later Lucifer flickered and then vanished.

"What the hell!?" Charlotte breathed heavily. She turned to look at Sam.

Sam frowned. "I can't completely control him. Just shut him out sometimes."

Charlotte stared at him. It was then she started to notice the bags under his eyes. His skin was pale and his eyes twitched.

"How long has it been since you slept?" She asked.

"What do you care?" Sam snapped back.

Charlotte looked away. This was getting nowhere. She had no idea if Lucifer heard everything she just explained about Shades. Hell, for all she knew, Sam could be taking down this information to kill her later. The only thing going for her was that he had no idea what she was.

"How can you see him?" Sam asked, again.

Charlotte sighed. Or maybe he would figure it out. "I told you, mirrors."

"Yeah, but, is it because you're a witch?"

Charlotte crinkled her nose. "I'm not a witch."

"But Alisha is, right?"

She nodded.

"So you're just a Hunter that travels with a kid witch?"

Charlotte waved her head back and forth. "She's not really a kid."

"He's saying you're old!" Lucifer whispered in Charlotte's ear.

This time, Charlotte screamed and jumped to her feet. Everyone in the room turned to look at her.

Sam got to his feet and took Charlotte by the arm. He walked towards the door and she followed. She felt incredibly embarrassed that she'd cried out like that, but Lucifer really startled her. It wasn't normal for someone or something to sneak up on her.

The moment they got outside, Sam froze. "Where did he go?"

"What?" Charlotte asked. She pulled her arm away from him. "Sorry about that, I just-"

"Lottie!" Lucifer jumped out from behind Sam and laughed as she flinched. "Oh, she's a jumper. I love it!"

Charlotte snorted. "I suppose you can't just ignore him and make him go away?"

"I wish." Sam lifted his hand and pounded at the bandage. Blood started to seep through.

"Whoa, hey!" Charlotte grabbed his hand as Lucifer disappeared. "Geez! It'll never heal if you keep attacking it!"

"He'll never leave me alone!" Sam snapped.

He took a step back away from her and ran his hand through his hair. After a long breath he shook his head. "Sorry, I just, I haven't slept much lately."

Charlotte thought she was starting to understand. Lucifer was haunting Sam. He wasn't a Shade, that much she was sure of, but he was targeting Sam for some reason and it was starting to take its toll. It was comforting to know, at least, Sam didn't like Lucifer.

"Okay." Charlotte lifted her hands up in defeat. She took a step back. "Listen, I'm just trying to figure out what Lucifer is so I can get rid of him. He pulled me through a mirror, okay? He's a little too powerful for my taste."

Sam mock laughed. "You can't get rid of him. He's the Devil."

Charlotte shrugged. "It's just a different type of monster. There's always a way to hunt it."

"No, you don't get it." Sam said. "He's the Devil. Lucifer. The only thing higher up the food chain is God himself. He can do whatever he wants!"

Charlotte bit her lip. She didn't know what he meant, but she assumed that meant Lucifer was extremely powerful. "So…why is he bothering you?"

"It's a long story."

Charlotte shrugged and gestured to the sidewalk. "I've got time."

Sam shook his head. "No offence, but I don't know you, alright? And this is my battle. I've just got to-"

"Sammy! Don't leave our little Lottie! You haven't asked her the million dollar question yet!" Lucifer's voice cut in, louder than ever.

Sam flinched, then grabbed at his hand.

"Stop it!" Charlotte instinctively reached out and grabbed his wrist before he could push down on his wound. Lucifer was dangerous, but the thought of seeing more blood oozing out was made her queasy.

"Where is he?" Sam's voice growled as he looked around the parking lot.

"I don't know," Charlotte replied. "But you can't keep hurting yourself."

"You don't understand." Sam ripped his hand back from her.

The moment he did, Lucifer appeared between the two of them, only he was looking at Charlotte.

"How did you do that?!" His eyes flared with an anger that reminded her of yesterday in the men's room. He reached out towards her and she stumbled backwards to avoid him. "Don't you EVER come between me and Sam again! Got that?!"

Charlotte jumped back as Lucifer swiped once more at her. He was fast, but she was trained. She jumped off to the side as he lunged forward.

"What…?" Sam asked.

"STAY AWAY FROM HIM!" Lucifer roared as Charlotte dodged another attack.

"Hey!" Sam called out. "Leave her alone!"

Charlotte ran over to Sam and grabbed his arm. "Come on!" She pulled his arm and the two of them ran down towards the street.

"Running won't work!" Sam said as he glanced over his shoulder. There was no sign of Lucifer.

Charlotte didn't answer. She held tightly to Sam's arm and pulled him down the road. Running was the only thing she could think to do. And at least she didn't hear Lucifer screaming at her anymore. Why did he suddenly attack her? It made no sense.

After a few blocks, she slowed to a stop and let go of Sam's arm. She leaned forward to catch her breath when Lucifer suddenly appeared in front of her.

With a gasp, she grabbed Sam's arm. The moment she did that, Lucifer disappeared.

Sam's eyes widened. "Did you…did you see that?!"

Charlotte stared at the spot Lucifer had been. Whatever was going on, she wasn't sure she was prepared for him randomly disappearing.

"Hang on," Sam said. "Trust me."

He took her hand off his arm, held it out in front of them, then let go.

Lucifer lunged towards them, screaming.

Sam grabbed Charlotte's hand again, and Lucifer vanished.

"What the…." Charlotte breathed out.

Sam chuckled nervously. "Well, I'll be damned."


	5. Chapter 5 - Fly By Night

**Chapter 5 - Fly By Night**  
“We have to get Dean and go to Bobby’s. Now.” Sam said as he tugged Charlotte’s hand towards the car.  
“What?” Charlotte asked.  
“This!” Sam lifted up his hand which held onto Charlotte’s. “It’s the cure. It…it has to be! Some sort of spell or something that Alisha did. I’m sure of it!”  
“Sam, I don’t think….”  
“What other explanation is there?” Sam asked. He let go of her for a second and Lucifer appeared once more. Before he could say anything, Sam took her hand and Lucifer disappeared. Sam gestured to it as if it was enough proof to speak for itself.  
“But…but…but what does Bobby have to do with it?” Charlotte followed along with him. “If it’s a spell, we should talk to Alisha and Max.”  
“You were going to Bobby’s anyway, right?” Sam asked.  
“Yes….” Charlotte said slowly.  
“He can figure out what spell it was, then figure out a way to make it work for me.” Sam said. His voice was stronger than she’d ever heard it.  
“But Sam,” Charlotte stopped as they reached the car. “What…what about Alisha?”  
“Tell her to meet us there,” Sam said. He looked down at her hand, which was still clasped in his own. Then he looked back up at her. “Please?”  
Charlotte sighed. She couldn’t leave him now. Lucifer would torment him worse than ever before, she was sure of it. But Alisha wouldn’t understand. And if she couldn’t leave Sam, there was no way to safely explain everything.  
“Get in,” Sam said as he opened the door for her. “Tell her to meet us at Bobby’s cabin. I’ll give you the address.”  
Charlotte got into the passengers side of the impala. She could see Lucifer outside chasing Sam as he ran around to the drivers side. As soon as he got in the car, she held out her hand for him and he took it.  
“What about Dean?” Charlotte asked. “Won’t he wonder what’s going on?”  
Sam jerk his chin over his shoulder as he started up the car. “We were on our way to Bobby’s anyway to give him that book. He’ll understand. He knows Lucifer is there, but he thinks I have it under control. It’ll be fine.”  
Charlotte looked into the backseat of the car and saw the old book lying there. Her eyes widened as the title on the cover stared back at her.  
“Sam?” Her voice came out weak as her throat dried up. She reached back, grabbed the book and pulled it onto her lap. “Where did you get this?”  
“What’s wrong?” Sam asked. He was careful to keep her in contact, even as she maneuvered around to get the book.  
“It’s…where did you get it?” Charlotte opened the book and started to flip through the pages. They naturally fell open to a section about halfway through.  
“Can you read it?” He asked.  
Charlotte stared down at the words in a language that shouldn’t exist here.  
‘Can you read it? Sam asked’  
The words in the book glared back at her. ‘Yes, Charlotte replied.’  
“Yes,” Charlotte replied. She tried to breathe but it felt like the world was spinning out of control. “It’s in Tayish. The…the language of Shades.”

* * *

“And a Shade takes over a dead person and kills other living people?” Dean asked.  
They were rushing down the road, Dean driving while Charlotte sat in the back. She was only half paying attention to Dean while she thumbed through the book. Her free hand hung down to grasp Sam’s hand that he pushed back between the door and the seat. She wasn’t sure why, but he hadn’t told Dean about Lucifer and their touch yet.  
“I…I guess?” Sam replied. “She said there are other ways to deal with them.”  
“What wrong with killing something that kills people?” Dean asked.  
“Have you ever killed someone on accident?” Charlotte said, nonchalant.  
Dean tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “Three people is hardly an accident. That Shade would have killed more.”  
“Not if I had stopped her,” Charlotte said.  
Dean looked over at Sam with a questioning look. Sam simply shrugged.  
“Seriously?” Dean asked.  
“Just…hear her out.” Sam said.  
“I’m listening!” Dean grumbled.  
“When we get to Bobby’s,” Charlotte replied. She was far too fascinated with the book to deal with Dean at the moment.  
The book contained a line by line full documentation on their meeting and interactions. It contained far more information than that, but Charlotte was too afraid too look too far back. Or too far ahead for that matter. She read up until they reached Bobby’s cabin, but stopped as soon as she read that Bobby knew what a Shade was. She didn’t think she was ready for that answer yet.  
“At least tell us what the book says?” Sam pleaded.  
“Extra loaded bacon cheeseburgers with jalapeños.” Charlotte replied.  
“What?” Sam asked.  
“This is stupid,” Dean grumbled. “We need to be hunting down the Leviathans, not babysitting a couple of witches at Bobby’s house.”  
Charlotte rolled her eyes. Alisha hadn’t been too happy when she called her earlier either. It was hard to explain a plan that didn’t really make sense, especially when it dealt with an entity that Alisha didn’t know exists.  
“You should sleep,” Charlotte spoke up.  
Sam tilted his head. “Actually, yeah.” The idea almost seemed to excite him. Charlotte thought she felt his fingers wrap tighter around her hand.  
Dean scoffed. “Sure. Sleep away. Leave me to have a conversation with the witch here.”  
“I’m not a witch,” Charlotte said pleasantly as she turned the page.  
“Whatever.” Dean scowled and looked out the window. After a while, he pointed up ahead. “Look. Food. You hungry Sammy? Extra loaded bacon cheeseburgers with jalapeños! Sounds good, yeah?”  
Sam turned to look at Charlotte, but she just smiled and turned the page.


	6. House of the Rising Sun

Chapter 6

By the time they reached Bobby's house, the sun had been down for hours. Charlotte could only make out a word or two in the book as they passed under freeway lights, but they had started to go by fewer and fewer. Unable to read, Charlotte had felt herself start to doze.

She was awoken when they pulled to a stop at Bobbys house. While Charlotte was used to life on the road, Alisha had a very strict bedtime routine. Staying up late was not something she was used to. Charlotte yawned as she climbed out of the impala.

"Here," Sam came over to help hold her up. She knew he did it as a rouse, so he could be touching her and keep Lucifer away, but she was too tired to care. Besides, keeping Lucifer away from Sam meant she didn't have to see him either. Devil or not, Lucifer was a pain in the ass.

"Bobby," Dean nodded as they entered the cabin.

"Bit late, don't you think." Bobby grunted. "Who's she?"

Dean groaned and kept walking.

Sam nudged a half-awake Charlotte. "We found this old book written in some strange language. She can read it." He handed the book to Bobby.

Bobby took it and flipped through a few pages. "Nothing I've ever seen before."

"It's Tayish," Charlotte mumbled.

"What now?" Bobby asked.

"Shade," she replied.

"Shade, huh?" Bobby grunted. "Haven't heard of them in years."

Sam sighed. "I think she needs sleep."

Bobby looked Sam over. "Looks like you could use some sleep as well, boy."

Sam scoffed with half a smile. "Yeah."

After a moment, Bobby handed the book back to Sam and shrugged. "Alright. Let's talk in the morning.

The cabin was small, and Charlotte was too tired to care about anything before sleeping. She woke up to find herself laying on top of some blankets on an old rickety daybed. Daylight streamed through some small holes in the curtains, and she found the small wooden room to be filled with bookshelves, books and papers.

Charlotte yawned and went to turn over when she felt a small tug on her hand. She leaned over to find her arms was hanging off the bed.

On the floor was Sam, asleep.

Their wrists were tied together with a bandana.

Charlotte laughed to herself. Well, at least he was resourceful.

She laid back down with her chin on the edge of the bed. How long had it been since Sam had gotten a night of uninterrupted sleep? Now that she was in his presence, did that mean Lucifer would try and keep her awake too? How long would she have to be tied to Sam?

The Tayish book lay in a chair off by the door. The title of the book sat perfectly in a small stream of light from the window.

In the Shadow of the Winchesters

It was a dumb title really, but Charlotte knew Shades weren't talented writers. Still more puzzling, how did a book from there end up here? The fact that it was written about the Winchesters and her didn't bother her nearly as much as it should. Her real concern was where it came from, and if anything else came with it.

Shades didn't really cross over to this world much, and if they did, it was usually in a shadowed form. Nothing physical. But this book was solid. It was physical.

So how did it get here?

Charlotte felt Sam begin to stir and she directed her attention to him. He looked kind of cute, when she thought about it, with his face relaxed. She hadn't realized just how pained he looked normally. But now he was peaceful, with the streams of light going through his waves of hair. His body was relaxed, yet still managed to show off his toned arms.

Sam opened his eyes and blinked several times before focusing on her.

He flinched. "Sorry."

Charlotte raised their tied wrists with a smirk. "For this? Don't be. I understand."

"Yeah." Sam closed his eyes and groaned as he stretched his legs. "Don't think I've had a full night sleep like that in months."

Charlotte frowned. Months sounded like a long time. Too long. "He's been haunting you for that long?"

Sam half nodded, almost as if he was trying to avoid answering her question. He reached up and picked at the bandana around their wrists. "Let's go talk to Bobby. You ready?"

She nodded slowly. The bandana fell to the ground and their hand separated.

And just like that, Lucifer was there to enrich their day.


	7. Who are you

Chapter 7

Alisha was already waiting for them downstairs. She looked pissed, with her arms folded across her chest. Bobby didn't look too pleased, either.

"You owe me big, girl," Alisha said as Charlotte came into the room.

Sam followed behind her a couple of steps. He tried to make it look like they weren't coming from the same place, but Charlotte doubted he fooled anyone. Lucifer trotted behind.

"I know," Charlotte sighed. "Might I get some tea first?"

"No tea," Bobby replied. "We don't have fancy stuff here. Only coffee."

"Oh! Fancy Lottie needs her special Earl Grey!" Lucifer sang.

"I'll make some," Sam said as he darted around her towards the kitchen. Thankfully, Lucifer followed him.

"I want mine black!" Bobby called after him.

Charlotte took in a deep breath. "I'm a Shade."

"Already figured that one out with the fact that you can read the damn book," Bobby said impatiently. "Tell me something I don't know."

"We came here with an alternative to killing Shades," Charlotte said. "I can send them back to their...our world. Anyone can, if they do it right."

"Why the hell would you do that?" Bobby asked. "If they kill people, they don't deserve to just get sent home."

"It's not their fault," Alisha said in a surprisingly calm manner. "If a Shade is thrown into an angry host, they can't control it."

"Shades get thrown into a host?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, it's the only way they can cross over." Charlotte replied.

"What about you, then?" Bobby nodded at her.

"I…" Charlotte paused. She wasn't entirely sure how to answer that.

"Lottie's not the point here, Bobby. She's trying to help." Alisha spoke up. "And we figured that if anyone could rally the hunters together to fix this, it's you."

"How come you've got a British accent?" Bobby asked.

"What?" Charlotte asked.

"Now, I ain't seen many Shades before, but there's no reason that you should have some fancy English accent. If anything, it should be an accent from a different world, right?"

"Bobby!" Alisha snapped. "Who cares? We're trying to help!"

"You want me to tell all the hunters out there to stop killing ghosts on the off chance that it's a random Shade, and then to do some other random ceremony instead?" Bobby folded his arms across his chest as he leaned back against his desk. "If a thing is out there killing someone, hunters don't have time to sit around figuring out if it's a ghost or a shade."

"They just have to look at the shadow," Charlotte said.

"Morning," Dean said as he walked into the room. Sam walked in with four cups of coffee and Dean stole one from him instantly. "Thanks, bro."

Sam frowned, then handed the rest to Bobby, Alisha and Charlotte.

"So, what 'cha all talking about?" Lucifer stroked Charlotte's arm.

"What about shadows?" Bobby asked.

"A Shade has a shadow because, while it's weak, it has a form." Charlotte said.

"Ghosts don't have one," Alisha pointed out.

Charlotte noticed Bobby look at the floor by her feet to see her own shadow. What bothered her was Lucifer noticed Bobby doing this as well.

"All right," Bobby said. "Still doesn't help if it's dark out."

"Wait, what did I miss?" Dean asked.

Charlotte saw Lucifer looking her up and down out of the corner of her eyes.

"We are trying to help hunters stop killing Shades," Alisha said. "Send them back to their world instead."

"Why?" Dean asked. "It's a monster, right? Just kill them all."

Lucifer laughed. "Oh, this is too good."

"They're not…" Charlotte scoffed. "They're not monsters."

"They kill people, though," Sam said. "Sounds like something we hunt."

Lucifer laughed. "Wait, Sammy boy, you haven't figured it out yet?"

Charlotte shuffled her feet nervously.

Thankfully, Bobby noticed and seemed to take the hint that Charlotte didn't want Dean and Sam knowing about her. "Right, well, as I was saying before, if it's dark out, you can't really take the time to see if it's got a shadow or not."

"Bobby, be real." Alisha rolled her eyes. "Now you're just making stupid excuses. You and I both know it's not that hard. Hunters are going to have flashlights or something on them anyway."

"Still didn't answer my question about why it matters," Dean said.

"I agree with Dean," Sam said.

"This is too good!" Lucifer laughed. He glanced over at Charlotte. "Should I tell him, or should you?"

Bobby ignored Dean. "Maybe they do, but I'm also not in charge of all hunters. I can't go telling them all how to do their jobs."

"Lottie!" Lucifer sang. "Little Lottie is a monster!"

"Stop!" Charlotte shouted. She meant it in response to Lucifer, but of course everyone else heard her. Lucifer hummed to himself while she scrambled to fix the situation. "Uh, I mean…."

"Lottie, you want to go lie down or something?" Alisha looked at her with concern.

Charlotte knew she meant well, but she couldn't leave now. Despite Lucifer probably spoiling her identity to Sam, she needed to get Bobby on her side.

Of course, the world had other plans. The phone on Bobby's desk rang and he picked it up.

"What's going on?" Sam asked Charlotte.

Lucifer laughed. "I'm gonna tell him. I mean, someone has got to tell him."

"Looks like we've got a local problem," Bobby said as he hung up the phone. "Sounds like Leviathan."

"Let's go," Dean said.

Alisha looked at the group. "Charlotte and I—"

"It's your twins," Bobby said as he jerked his thumb at the boys. "The Leviathans making their way around as you two idjits."

"If we show up together, they'll get away and leave us to be arrested." Sam finished Bobby's thought.

"Yeah, or worse," Dean added. "So then, what?"

"I say just let the cops shoot you dead on the spot." Lucifer chimed in.

"Charlotte can come with me. Dean, you take Alisha," Sam said quickly as he grabbed Charlotte's arm. Thankfully, Lucifer vanished.

"What?" Dean asked.

"You sure?" Bobby asked.

Sam shrugged. "We can't let the Leviathans get away. And if Bobby vouches for Alisha, then you could use the help of a witch."

Dean frowned. "I can handle myself."

"So can the Leviathan," Bobby said. He threw Sam his keys. "Take my truck. Don't you dare scratch it."

"Thanks, Bobby." Sam kept his hand on Charlotte's arm as they headed out to the truck.


	8. Chapter 8

Sam seemed a little hesitant on the walk to the truck, and it made Charlotte nervous. She was worried that he'd figured everything out from Lucifer's annoying jabbering, and that he hated her for being a Shade.

But Sam said nothing. He opened the door for her, and Charlotte watched as Lucifer made rude gestures and yelled while Sam walked over to the driver's side of the truck. Sam reached for her hand the moment he got inside.

He didn't seem mad, more lost in thought. Charlotte took a deep breath. It was probably best to tell him herself before the devil spilled the beans.

"Well, um, I'm a Shade," Charlotte said.

"Oh," Sam replied, surprised.

"I didn't want to tell you because the Banes twins said that hunters kill anything that is supernatural and well… I didn't want to get killed."

"Okay." Sam took in a deep breath. His hand didn't leave hers, but he seemed to move his body further away from her. "A Shade."

"Ye-yeah." Charlotte sighed. She couldn't tell much from his short words, but he sounded disappointed. She'd expected that, but she'd still kind of hoped he wouldn't care.

"What exactly does that mean?" Sam asked.

Charlotte looked over at him, but he wouldn't meet her eyes. "What does what mean?"

Sam shrugged. "Well, that Shade before killed a bunch of people."

"Oh, I've never killed anyone," Charlotte said, almost too quickly. "I'm a sort of different case. Those Shades are brought here. I crossed over."

"Not really helping me understand anything here." His voice was practically monotone.

Charlotte bit her lip. She wasn't sure how to explain it, or if she even wanted to. She didn't know Sam that well, but his reaction hurt. Of course, part of her worried that if she explained it more, he might use it against her. But the other part of her desperately wanted him to be okay with who she was. That part scared her. He was no one to her. Why should she care if he liked her or not?

"Think of it like Shades are from another world. We're from the other side of the mirror. I use the mirror to help find other Shades so the Banes twins and I can find them before they do harm. I'm completely in control. I swear, I never hurt anyone."

Sam lifted up their joined hands. "What about this?"

Charlotte looked at their hands and shook her head. "I don't know. It doesn't make any sense. You said he was just a figment of your imagination, but he pulled me through the mirror. He was able to grab my form and use enough power to…." She trailed off.

Sam frowned. They both sat in silence.

Charlotte felt like she had failed. She had no idea if Sam hated her or if he was just annoyed that he hadn't know her secret before. Either way, it forced a strange aura around them that hadn't been there before.

After a long moment of silence, he drove off Bobby's property.

* * *

The truck ride was far too quiet for Charlotte's taste. Sam's ignoring her stung more than she thought it should, especially considering she knew he would need time to process her declaration. For hours, she was half tempted to release Sam's hand just to hear Lucifer shout something. At least that would have been better than the awkward silence that hung in the truck.

The journey was mostly through the woods. After a couple of hours they passed a few random gas stations, but nothing that Charlotte would call civilization. She had no way to know if Sam was taking her on a hunt or out into the middle of nowhere to kill her. She hoped the former, but his lack of communication didn't stop her from worrying it might be the latter.

"What are Leviathan?" She finally asked as they pulled up to the first stop light since they'd left the house.

"Creatures from another world," Sam said dryly.

Charlotte wasn't sure if he was mocking her or being 100% serious. She decided to let it go.

As they drew closer to their destination, the woods started to thin while more and more old houses appeared. Charlotte barely even noticed when the side of the road turned to sidewalks since it happened so gradually. Sam came to a stop at the solo blinking traffic light, then turned onto what the sign said was Main Street, but looked more like the backdrop for a horror story in a small town.

The buildings were old and cracked. The sidewalks weren't even and dried out plants sprung up between the cracks. Even the storefront windows looked dusted and creepy. Random cars were parked along the street, but none of them looked like they were made in this decade.

A large banner with blocky red text for the County Fair draped across Main Street. They followed the signs through to a large field for parking. Sam pulled the truck into a spot next to an old Jeep and turned the engine off. He sighed, then looked over at her. "They've never been this close to Bobby's before."

Charlotte wasn't sure she'd call this 'close'. They'd crossed at least one state line. It was hardly in Bobby's backyard.

"They're dangerous," Sam said as he looked away from her. "Stay close."

Charlotte didn't say anything, and he let go of her hand to get out of the truck.

"Did you tell him?!" Lucifer's voice shouted from the backseat of the truck.

Charlotte jumped, and he howled in laughter.

She clenched her teeth and got out of the truck. She had to jog a bit to catch up to Sam; his legs were far longer than hers and he was walking at a faster pace.

"Oooooo, boyfriend didn't take it well, did he?" Lucifer said, trotting behind. "It's going to be so much fun seeing how long he goes before killing you."

Charlotte sneered but didn't respond. She wasn't going to talk to some hallucination about Sam's obvious disapproval of her. Though she did notice that Sam didn't tell Lucifer to shut up, either. Maybe he agreed with him.

The fair was packed with people. They passed by a line of dirty-looking animal petting pens along the outer edges of a long striped tent. There were gentle waifs of fairer smells like popcorn and cotton-candy, but mostly the place smelled like animal crap. It sounded like a band was playing off in the distance somewhere.

Sam was glancing over the tops of everyone's heads, trying to get a good look.

"What are we looking for?" Charlotte asked.

"Me or Dean," Sam said. "Heavily armed."

"Okay." Charlotte frowned. That didn't really help answer her question. She thought about asking him if she should use a mirror to see if she could find them, but she doubted he wanted to discuss such an option at the moment.

Lucifer sucked loudly through the straw of a giant cup that read 'Lemonade' on the side. "Hey, Sammy. You should use the Shade as bait. Get the Leviathans to come out and kill her."

"What?" Charlotte snapped at him.

"The Leviathans make themselves known, and the Shade dies." Lucifer grinned. "Win-win."

Charlotte scoffed in disgust and looked over at Sam. He seemed to be considering it for a moment, then shook his head and headed off towards the tent. She glared at Lucifer. He just smiled and shrugged before taking off after Sam.

She hung back. Sam obviously wasn't taking this well. There wasn't much she could do without the mirror. If there was some way she could just see – oh! Charlotte stiffened at the thought of the book. The Tayish one that had their every action written down, or at least as far as she read. She never did read beyond finding out that Bobby knew what Shade's were.

She tapped her head for a moment trying to remember where she last saw it. It was back at Bobby's house.

Charlotte pulled out her phone and texted Alisha. She didn't have Bobby's number directly, and she wasn't entirely sure he trusted her after Sam's reaction. But if Alisha could get Bobby to send her some pictures, Charlotte could translate it and find out where these Leviathan were.

Maybe then Sam wouldn't be mad at her anymore.


End file.
